« on: November 20, 2020, 05:05:41 am »
A few months ago, the LGBT+ Employee Resource Group where I work asked me to write an article to mark this day. the Transgender Day of Remembrance. It will be emailed to a few thousand employees within next few hours.
Today, November 20th, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. It wasn't that long ago when this day meant nothing to me. It was for a group of people I labeled 'them', why should I care? I was wrong. Now I am one of 'them', and it opened my eyes to the importance of accepting people for who they are. When someone is at risk of being attacked or killed solely because they decide to live their truth, we should all be concerned. Why? Because one day the eyes of persecution may fall upon you, or someone you love.
Being transgender isn't a choice, as in the quote 'The only choice I ever made was to be myself'. With one exception, we are the same as everyone else. We have the same hopes, the same fears, the same dreams. The exception? We weren't born into bodies which match our minds. We struggle for years, sometimes decades, to discover why we aren't comfortable in the bodies we were born into. We know what it's like to be a man, a woman, and the places in between. Socially transitioning makes us unique because we will 'walk a mile' in the shoes of more than one gender. I say we are unicorns -- rare and beautiful people.
We each have unique stories, and we understand the essence of the struggle others endure to find themselves, and ultimately their fight to live an authentic life. Imagine your life if you had to deal with persecution, hatred, discrimination, and the daily threat of violence just to be yourself, just to live an authentic life that most people take for granted. Every time I see a story about the senseless murder of someone who is transgender, part of my soul withers. It's like losing a brother, or a sister. Magnifying the pain is that 39 states allow an 'LGBTQ panic' defense, which asks a jury to find that a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant's violent reaction, including murder – insinuating that being attacked or murdered is somehow the victim's fault.
This year has been one of the worst on record for the transgender community. Not only are some local, state, and federal government agencies eroding our rights as human beings, but we also are being attacked and killed in record numbers. Please take some time to reflect on the senseless violence committed against this unique, priceless segment of society. We all must learn to accept and cherish diversity. No one should be frightened to live their truth.
Love always -- Jessica Rose